cameo

C2 Topic:People & Society

US /ˈkæm.i.oʊ/ UK /ˈkæm.iː.əʊ/ See IPA manual

Freq #29750

Meanings

1

noun
a small but noticeable role or appearance by a well-known person in a film, play, or other work

The director makes a brief cameo near the end of the film.
2

noun
a piece of jewelry or carved stone bearing a raised relief design, often a profile portrait

Her brooch held a white cameo carved with a woman's head.
3

verb
to make a brief appearance in a film, performance, or other work

Several former players cameo in the documentary.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a small but noticeable role... cameo roleguest appearancebrief appearance

2 noun · a piece of jewelry or... relief carvingcameo brooch

3 verb · to make a brief appearance... make a guest appearanceappear briefly

Opposites

leading role

Word family

Related forms relief broochguest starvignette

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian cammeo through Medieval Latin camaeus, of uncertain deeper origin. The original object was a small carving in raised relief, often a recognizable head in profile. Cameo role later compared a famous performer's brief, self-contained appearance to that compact and immediately recognizable portrait.

Topics

People & Society

External links

# cameo

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈkæm.i.oʊ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkæm.iː.əʊ/
**Frequency rank:** 29750

## Meanings
1. a small but noticeable role or appearance by a well-known person in a film, play, or other work
2. a piece of jewelry or carved stone bearing a raised relief design, often a profile portrait
3. to make a brief appearance in a film, performance, or other work

## Examples
- The director makes a brief cameo near the end of the film.
- Her brooch held a white cameo carved with a woman's head.
- Several former players cameo in the documentary.

## Synonyms
- cameo role
- guest appearance
- relief carving
- cameo brooch

## Antonyms
- leading role

## Related Forms
- relief
- brooch
- guest star
- vignette

## Etymology
Borrowed from Italian cammeo through Medieval Latin camaeus, of uncertain deeper origin. The original object was a small carving in raised relief, often a recognizable head in profile. Cameo role later compared a famous performer's brief, self-contained appearance to that compact and immediately recognizable portrait.

## Topics
- People & Society

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